Montreal’s PK Subban, Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang, and Minnesota’s Ryan Suter are the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position,” the NHL announced today.
After a prolonged contract negotiation, Subban had 38 points in 42 games. The 23-year-old’s 11 goals gave him the scoring title among defenseman, as his 11 were more than Letang’s five.
Letang, though, had 38 points in just 35 games, as the 26-year-old missed time with injuries.
Suter, meanwhile, finished with 32 points in 48 games, but nobody played more than the 28-year-old, who averaged 27:16 per contest.
Other defensemen that likely picked up votes include the usual suspects, Zdeno Chara, Drew Doughty, and Shea Weber.
Alex Pietrangelo, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Francois Beauchemin, Duncan Keith, and Niklas Kronwall may have been on ballots, too.
Christian Ehrhoff was also getting some buzz in the advanced stats community.